The Family Stone

Title: The Family Stone
Year: 2005
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama



Summary:
So it's that wonderful time of the year, again, Christmas (I'll give you your fair warning, this is not a Christmas flick, but it does make some refrences, so you might get a little fuzzy inside)! The movie starts and spares no time in introducing us to the two main leads: Meredith and Everett. The two are a young couple, in their prime and about to get married, spending the first holiday with the in-laws (his family). Little does poor Meredith know, his family is absolutely out of their minds. The father and mother (played by Craig T. Nelson and Diane Keaton, respectively) raised each of their children in a highly open and educated enviorment, so Meredith is confronted with plenty of awkward situations throughout the length of the movie. While she is challenged by her's and the family's differences, she slowly discovers each member's struggle: The deaf and gay brother, seeking to have a child with his boyfriend/husband; the pothead, troublemaking slacker who takes her out and shows her what having a good time is all about; the lonely daughter who seeks to make Meredith's life hell in an attempt to push her away; and the expectant mother-daughter facing her second birth. In the midst of this hodge-podge of happenings, there is a side plot developing: we find that Diane Keaton's character is slowly dying of breast cancer. Her last wish is to see her son Everett give away her mother's ring, and through a wild twist of events, she does when he proposes to Meredith's sister. I won't ruin the ending because it was actually interesting to see everything play out.

Plot:
Plot was definitely something that was right about this movie. It had its funny parts, but I still consider it a straight drama. Extremely well written. 5/5

Characters:
If I had to pick one strong point about this movie, it was the well-developed characters. Each one had its own struggle and each bettered in the end. UNFORTUNATELY, I didnt care for Parker's character, Meredith. She was WAY too flat, with very little development. Also way too easy to dislike. She didn't progress until near the end of the story, and by that time I were so into the other characters I was left asking "Meredith who?" 5/5

Aesthetics:
Given that this was more story-based than it was special effects-based, I'd say it was a little missing on the visual aesthetics. But its HUGELY bohemian style left me wanting more. 4/5

Cast:
I'll make this one easy: Parker (Meredith), very yes. Wilson (Ben), yes. Keaton (Sybil), very very much yes. Diane Keaton's performance in this movie was the one that stuck out for me. In the end I was left frustrated that they actually killed my favorite character. I could really feel the pain with her. 5/5

Grade: 95, A

Afterthoughts:
This movie was very much a hit with me. Other than Sarah Jessica Parker's character (which I found to be annoying, bland, and flat), I loved it. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone who's not afraid to get pulled into a good story. I'll give you another fair warning, though, it is pretty sad at the end. Might cause a few tears, I know.